Almost at the Dolphin now, but feel free to guess how the quality of the Bass has been improved by adding another seven beers on the bar.
First up, I spent half an hour finding somewhere to park my car for the next 3 days without paying a penny. I think it was Okehampton.
Parking is extortionate in Plymouth, worse than Cambridge, but I guess that keeps the Cornish out.
I stayed in independent student accommodation again; this one was bang centre and £61.65 for 3 nights. Worth 65p alone for the view from my window.
The WiFi worked, the room was clean and while it’s true that someone made their way into the wrong room at 3.30am, at least it wasn’t my room. Or my pants on the stairwell in the morning.
I’ll stay again though, and probably try the specialist chilli beer bar on Notte Street (I assume that’s what it is).
Plymouth is much more than pubs, of course, there’s Chinese takeaways as well, but this was a great opportunity to boost my paltry Devon GBG count.
Starting with the oldest pub in Plymouth.
The Minerva doesn’t look that old, ancient pubs rarely do.
I suspect the oldest thing there is the Tubz machine. Reminds me of a slightly scruffy old pub in Market Drayton that Curry Charles will recall the name of.
Some of it doesn’t work,
but it’s quite Proper Pubby in a way that the Barbican isn’t always, and was filling up with Old Boys ahead of the inevitable Thursday Night Is Folk session, which makes a change from student quiz night.
A chatty Landlady, a decent strong beer from St Austell, and 15th century man bag hooks.
I entered to the strains of “Ideal World” by the Christians, which at least shows Plymouth has reached 1987, which is 5 years ahead of New York.
Then this came on.
Well, haven’t heard that for 35 years, let alone in a pub.
“Who’s this ?”
“It’s ABBA mate”
“Nah”
“Oh, Shazza (Shazam) says it’s Blonkmonge”
“Though she sounded a bit wobbly”
Honestly, what more do you want from a pub ?
retiredmartin 
If Plymouth gets better, it must be quite a pub town.
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It has some good pubs, but rather patchy, somewhat like its architecture. Along with Coventry, one of the two British cities most damaged by the Luftwaffe, although I’d say post-war planners are as much to blame for the current dreary city centre.
I wrote of the Minerva on 9 September 2013:
“Ancient half-timbered pub with a long, narrow, cramped interior which isn’t really as atmospheric as the exterior promises. A pub quiz was in progress. Group of sweary drunks around the bar – one asked for the jukebox to be turned up but was told it couldn’t be because of the quiz. Beer range was, I think, Tribute, Proper Job and one other. “
I think I moved on to the Dolphin…
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I think I was an hour or two early for the sweary drunks but I know what you mean!
I suspect that I probably like this sort of scruffy pub a bit more than you do, takes all sorts etc. Reminded me of an old scruffy pub on East of Central Coventry, coincidentally.
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Interesting comment on the architecture from Mudgie. From the pictures you would not know that there is not a consistent look. Great photos of the town.
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The one on the left is a cider. I wish they’d put them back in plastic barrels on the bar again. Warm and undrinkable, but at least you know what it is…
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Nah, put them on the craft keg wall 😛
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CAMRA says real Ciders are as good as Real Ales still give you a GBG ✅
It’s increasingly difficult to tell the ales and Ciders apart on the bar.
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I love the look of this place👍 sweary drinks at the bar remind me of Coalville boozers 😄
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I think I was in there a few years back. One of the better ones in Plymouth.
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The Day Before You Came – must have heard the Blancmange version dozens of times. Only picked up on the Coronation Street reference when I heard it again yesterday.
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